Gamma Ray

In 1988/89, after 4 years in Helloween, Kai Hansen (guitar) decided to leave the band. After some studio work with Blind Guardian, he decided to form his own band. Along with his long-time friend Ralf Scheepers (vocals, ex-Tyran Pace), Uwe Wessel (bass) and Mathias Burchard (drums), he formed Gamma Ray. Feb. 19th 1990, saw the release of their debut album, entitled 'Heading for Tomorrow'. Uli Kusch soon replaced Mathias on drums and Dirk Schlächter became the second guitarist of the band. The year after they released 'Sign No More'. Following the third Gamma Ray-album, 'Insanity And Genius' (1993), new band members Thomas Nack (drums) and Jan Rubach (bass) replaced Uli and Uwe due to personal problems. Then singer Ralf Scheepers left the band and was replaced by Kai Hansen, debuting as the bands vocalist on the fourth album, 'Land Of The Free' (1995). In May of 1996 their first live album, entitled 'Alive '95' was released. Jan Jubach and Thomas Nack left the band when Dirk Schlächter decided to go back playing bass. Finally Henjo Richter (guitars) and Dan Zimmermann (drums) are introduced to the band. August '97 sees the release of the album 'Somewhere Out In Space'..

I never quite got into this band until a friend of mine played this album for me. It just blew me away! The melodies, the hooks, the tempo-changes. It was just like Helloween of old, only faster. I never cared much for Kai as a vocalist, but I must admit that he has improved a lot. And he only gets better and better. This band showcases what this kind of music is all about. I think Gamma Ray is better without Ralf Scheepers. Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween singer) also guests on this album.

A nice little CD-single, released from the 'Land Of The Free' album. Not only does it contain the 2 best tracks from that album, but you also get 2 unreleased tracks. "As Times Go By" is a pre-production from the 'Sigh No More' sessions in '91. "H.-M. Mania" is a cover of the NWOBHM band Holocaust.

Another single release from the 'Land Of The Free' album. This time there is nothing much to rave about. "The Silence" is a re-recorded version of a track from Gamma Ray's debut album. So now you get to hear Kai sing on of the songs Ralf originally did.

'Somewhere Out In Space' was the first Gamma Ray album I bought. And what an album it is! Full of German speed metal supreme. Riff after riff, great melodies followed by great melodies. This album puts Kai & Co. in a league of their own. It's a concept album based on the sci-fi movie '2001: A Space Odyssey'. A MUST!!

Killer tracks: Men, Martians And Machines, Somewhere Out In Space, Pray, Valley Of The Kings, Watcher In The Sky

Another killer record from Germany's finest. This time their not going at full speed all the time, and that makes the album a bit more diverse than the previous two studio albums. For me it seems that Gamma Ray is almost paying tribute to the heavy metal scene by adopting some different metal styles. 'Heavy Metal Universe' sound a bit like Manowar, 'Wings Of Destiny' sounds almost like Judas Priest in the seventies. 'It's A Sin' is a cover of the English pop-band Pet Shop Boys!?!

Killer tracks: Anywhere In The Galaxy, Razorblade Sigh, Heavy Metal Universe, Short As Hell

Now this is a killer way to put out a best-of compilation! All the old tracks, where Ralf Scheepers used to sing, has been re-recorded, with Kai Hansen now singing them. Even the tracks originally on 'Land Of The Free' have been redone, the rest have been remastered. And on top of this, you also get a new song. The booklet is extensive, with all the lyrics included. And the cover itself is a cool double digi-pack. I think this concludes Gamma Ray's contract with Noise, and they are doing it in style. Any new fans of the band, this is a killer way to start the collection!

These guys just won't stop releasing killer records, will they? And for that I am very grateful. It strikes me though, that this album does not contain so many typical speed metal tunes as usual. 'Damn The Machine' sound like mix between Running Wild and Accept, and 'Solid' starts out sounding like Motörhead. Metal homage, or the new Gamma Ray sound? It even reminds me of 'Walls Of Jericho', the classic Helloween album from when Kai was in that band. So although not as great as the last 2 CD's, this album still rocks!

It's been 10 years since I discovered Gamma Ray. And here they are with their 8th studio effort. 'Majestic' is a slight return to the sound on 'Land Of The Free' and 'Somewhere Out In Space'. But I also feel that they've incorporated some of the elements from 'No World Order', especially the parts that sound like other bands. "My Temple", for example, has this part that is almost identical to the chorus of Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". "Condemned To Hell" has a drumbeat similar to that in Sepultura's "Chaos A.D.". Add to that some guitar-parts reminiscent of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, and it makes you wonder. Homage, rip-off or plagiarism? I guess the jury is still out on that one. In the meantime we can enjoy Kai and company's excellent music. Because when all is said and done, that is what 'Majestic' offers. This is the Gamma Ray we are used to. Not the stripped down version, but the full on metallic assault. Be it melodic speed metal or be it futuristic/epic metal, it's all the same. The point is that it is good metal! It's also good to acknowledge that both Kai's, and his former singers band, Primal Fear, are both strong contesters for the top 20 list of 2005 releases. The only downer here are the lyrics. They are pretty dark, and if you read the song titles, you'll see that they all are pretty much centered around evil and/or anti-religious themes. But if you can live with that, this might be the best Gamma Ray album for years.

Kai Hansen and band are back with part II in the 'Land Of The Free' series. Now we all now that this is just another cash-in, much like the 'Keeper.... part 3' album from Helloween, and the 'Operation: Mindcrime II' stunt from Queensrÿche, and not really a planned follow up. In fact, these releases have simply not much in common with the original albums, at least not musically. Still, you know what to expect from Gamma Ray by now, so there is no real surprises here. But even worse, there are no real highlight on this album either. Sure, this is good ol' German power metal, and at times they are even touching on the classic sound of the first Helloween album ("To Mother Earth"). But musically the band seem to be played on autopilot! Another drawback are the many blatant rip-offs on this album. I used to call it a tribute to the bands that influenced him, but now it has just gone too far. Don't believe me? Well check this out then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnvmGvY-Qsw. I could add some more examples not in that clip too. I still like this band quite a bit though, and songs like the opening "Into The Storm" could become a live favorite. I'm just not as excited by the music as I used to be. Where Helloween went out and recorded one of the better albums this year, Gamma Ray have delivered, albeit a varied effort, one of the weakest ones in their career. There are days I really love this album though, as it really do have it's moments. But it just pales in comparison to so many other great albums in this category. Better luck next time, Kai.

Killer tracks: Into The Storm, Empress, Opportunity, When The World, Insurrection